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Abstract

In this artide, certain key issues in the Foucault-inspired research on gender, power and sexuality are discussed. One such theme is the relation between Foucault and the established "classics" of gender research. The awareness of gender and sexuality as social constructions is not new, it belongs to the history of feministic research. Another main thente is Foucault's concept of power. What implications does a multiple theory of power like Foucaults have for the understanding of gender related power? Does his relational power-concept lead us to analyses where the "objects" of the wielding of power are the only visible actors, causing them to appear as guilty of their own oppression? The "dUltlor maintains that Foucault has more than one concept of power, in fact several. Just to state, as many researchers do, that an analysis of power is inspired by Foucault, may give rise to more questions than answers. The third main theme deals with sexuality, marginality and hegemony. Foucaults analyses of marginalized groups, of "the others", those disregarded and silenced by the prevailing power/knowledge struetures, have often been regarded as a clear source of inspiration within gender research. The problem is just that Foucault s "others" often become anonymous shadows in the margins of society, shadows without an identity, a face, a voice. It is difficult to imagine how these "nodes in the network of power" could be able to generate alternative discourses, how they could represent a "counter-power" capable to break the discourse hierarchies.